Hey, lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Tricia
McGill and her new book, “Annie's Choices”! For other stops on her Goddess Fish
Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in
this post.
Be sure to make it to the
end of this post to enter to win a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Tricia
and to increase your chances of winning!
Thanks for stopping
by! Wishing you lots of luck in this
fabulous giveaway!
Annie's Choices
by Tricia McGill
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GENRE: Historical Romance
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BLURB:
In
book 4 of the Settlers Series, we catch up with most members of the extended
family from the previous three books. Annie at 18 is the eldest Carstairs girl.
She has lived out at Bathurst west of the Blue Mountains, where she was born
just after her Mama, Bella and Papa, Tiger settled there back in 1824. After
visiting her brother Tim and his wife Jo just before Christmas 1843, Annie
decides to stay in Port Philip, seeking adventure much as her brother did when
he set out with Jo the previous year. Annie has inherited her mother’s
independent streak, a character trait that sometimes leads her to make the
wrong choices.
Jacob
O’Quinn works for her brother, and the likeable young carpenter catches Annie’s
eye. Jacob is quiet and reserved in his manner, having spent his life with his
widowed mother. When handsome Zachary McDowell, the complete opposite to steady
Jacob comes along, he sweeps Annie off her feet. Heedless of advice given by
others, Annie makes a choice that turns out to be the worst she could ever
make.
Restless,
Annie decides to return to her home, and Jacob makes the decision to escort
her. The journey back across the mountains proves to be a lot more eventful
than she assumed it could ever be. The road itself may have seen improvements
through the years but there will always be unexpected incidents to turn life
around on its axis. A suspected murder brings the might of the law down on the
shoulders of the young couple.
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EXCERPT ONE:
Straightening
her back Maggie stared straight ahead, as she said, “It could only be him—no
other man was seen with her at any time.”
“That
is a ridiculous lie,” Annie shouted as she stood and glared at Maggie. This
time when Jacob went to touch her arm, she shook him off. “Jacob only knew the
girl during the time we travelled from Sydney to Bathurst so it is out of the
question that he could be responsible. I am well aware that Jacob knew who the
likely father of the baby was, and I can vouch that he would never have touched
a young innocent like Fannie in such a way. He is the type of man who would
console her in her time of trouble, and that is what he was doing when that
woman...” She stabbed a finger towards Maggie. “When she saw him with her.”
The
judge angrily bashed his hammer on his desk and ordered quiet as the court
exploded into uproar. “Sit down, Madam, and wait your turn,” he ordered, as he
glared at Annie, before turning back to Maggie. “Miss Fitzsimmons, I will ask
you another question and I wish you to be very sure of what you say. You are
suggesting that Jacob O’Quinn could in some way be involved in the death of
Fannie Doyle?”
For
a brief moment, Maggie looked flustered as she glanced at her mother and then
back at the judge. Biting on her bottom lip she said, “Not really, sir.”
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MY BOOK REVIEW:
This book was an intriguing, engaging, eventful, and enjoyable
read!!
This
book follows the story of an Annie, an eighteen-year-old girl, who is staying
with her Aunt Jo, Uncle Tim, and their new baby, Bella. Annie’s parents and she came down to visit Jo
and Tim for the holidays and to meet the baby.
However, instead of returning home with her parents at the end of the
visit, Annie decided to continue her stay and spend more time in Port Philip, a
town much bigger than the small Bathurst mountain area she’s from. During her visit she meets Jacob. He works for her brother at his furniture manufacturing
business, and lives in the stables. Annie
is quickly smitten with Jacob and tries to maximize her time with him, but
always finds herself tongue-tied when she tries to talk to him. Annie convinces Jacob to take her with him on
his day off to visit his mom and then later a trip to the seashore. After an uncomfortable interaction with Jacob’s
mom, she meets a dashing lad by the name of Zachary. Now with the interest of two men Annie is
trying to determine who is the better suitor.
However, with repeated and ignored advice that Zachary is a well-known
racketeer, up to no good, and not to be trusted Annie continues to pursue him
while drifting further away from Jacob and her family. Are they telling the truth? Is Zachary up to no good? Should she be staying away from him and
chasing after Jacob instead? Why would
Zachary be so sweet and kind to her if he wasn’t interested in her? No spoilers here!! But you definitely will want to read this
book and find out what happens!!
I enjoyed the story line and found myself intrigued and curious to
how Annie’s story would end and who she would end up with.
I
liked the main characters for the most part, but unfortunately was often
annoyed at how rude and childish Annie acted.
Annie was book smart, but quite naïve, independent, sheltered, spoiled, and
acted all-knowing – though she clearly wasn’t.
Annie was dismissive and quick to belt out orders whether it was to the
maid, Jane, or Jacob or so on. Her
short, but brief encounter with Jacob’s mom left this reader with a sour
taste. I will admit that Jacob’s mom
wasn’t exactly friendly, but I would never talk to an elder in such a distasteful
tone as Annie did. Especially after forcing
Jacob to bring her along on his one day off and when he already had plans with
his mom. Already so disrespectful!
There
were redeeming qualities for Annie throughout the book that I enjoyed, but often
brought back to her coarse attitude. Constantly
judging and criticizing others.
I enjoyed and
appreciated the author’s depth of research that was thoroughly highlighted in
this book. Her awareness of the history
and culture of Australia – all added insight and authenticity to the story.
I also liked that the
author used old language in her writings such as the terms: on the morrow,
mayhap, dapper, fripperies, invalid, revelry, deigned, and chamber pot. She also used Australian slang terms such as
frock, daft, cove, dowager, flogging, skivvy, whist, etc. It made the story feel more accurate.
There are some predictable scenes. However, there are still a few very
unexpected twists and turns that you won’t see coming!
This book is Book Four in The Settlers Book Series. I had not read any of the previous
books in this series, before reading this book. This book can absolutely be read as a standalone without any confusion.
All in all, there were just a couple hang-ups for me, but
overall, I still enjoyed reading this book and would still recommend it! I think all historical romance readers will
like this book too! So, add it to your
TBR List and get to reading – you won’t be disappointed!
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AUTHOR BIO:
Award
winning author Tricia McGill was
born in London, England, and moved to Australia many years ago, settling near
Melbourne. The youngest in a large, loving family she was never lonely or
alone. Surrounded by avid readers, who encouraged her to read from an early
age, is it any wonder she became a writer? The local library was a treasure
trove and magical world of discovery through her childhood and growing years.
Although her published works cross sub-genres, romance is always at their
heart.
Tricia’s
love of animals has always shown up in her books. Tricia devotes as much time
and money as she can spare to supporting worldwide conservation groups and is
passionate about supporting those who do all they can to preserve our wildlife
for future generations. She also volunteers for a local community group that
helps disabled adults and children to connect to the internet with provided
computer equipment. When people ask what she does in her spare time, she is
heard to ask, “Spare time, what is that?”
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CONNECT WITH TRICIA:
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Blog:
Email:
tricia.mcgill@gmail.com
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Books We Love Author Page:
BookBub Author Page:
BookBub Book Page:
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Goodreads Book Page:
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Tricia will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC
to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this
blog. This does not cost you anything,
it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Tricia ~ Good morning! Welcome back! It is so great to have you here again! Congrats on your new book and good luck on the book tour! I enjoyed reading and reviewing your book, thanks for providing the copy! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hosting me and my book. And many thanks for you very in depth review. Tricia
DeleteHello! Thanks so much for sharing your book with us. Always fun reading about another book to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThis has a great cover. I love historical reads.
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an amazing read!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. I enjoyed your review.
ReplyDeleteI really like the cover.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your review thoughts.
ReplyDeleteSounds great
ReplyDeleteThe cover is stunning!!
ReplyDeleteI love the cover, really drew me in.
ReplyDeletebeautiful cover.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful cover.
ReplyDelete